Lucia Ferene, and the Book of Nothingness
by Call me Mel
Summary: Back by popular demmand, a prequel to "Life with Lucia." What Lucia was like her second year, and how she terrorises ickle firstie Harry.
1. Day Breaks

Day Breaks 

Lucia woke up as sun from the open window invaded the room. "Ragglefraggle," she muttered, getting out of bed and shivering at the cold stone floor beneath her feet. She was the first one up.  Quickly climbing into her uniform and robes, she threw her hair back into a low half-pony and packed her satchel.  She walked into the Common Room, where a few students had fallen asleep on the couch the night before.  Sighing and walking through the entrance, she pulled out a piece of parchment that had a map on it. "Let's see... I could go to breakfast early, or..." she remembered Dumbledore's words the night before about the Third Floor and West Wing... it was strictly forbidden, which of course, made it all the more appealing.  Looking at her watch, which had a series of moving stars and planets on it, she sighed. "Not enough time now, I guess just go to the Great Hall for breakfast and wait a bit."

She entered the Great Hall, where she found, to her surprise, Professor Snape. 

"Ah! One of my students. Punctual, I see, good, good.  That's a way to set the example.  Slytherins, of course, are sure to abide by the rules... and keep the other houses in line."

Lucia smiled, somewhat confused… he clearly had not looked at her well enough.  If he had, he would have recognised that she was the first year he had spent all last year trying to keep in line. 

"Alright," she said, getting a seat and pulling out a book to read.

Snape walked out of the Great Hall and through the corridors.

 "Hello, Severus," Elsinore Pepinegré, Lucia's aunt said, coldly behind him.

Snape turned. "Els," he nodded curtly, trying to walk past.

"_Do call me Elsinore. Only my friends call me Els."_

"You mean called you Els," Snape said maliciously.  He looked around them.  "Well, where are your friends now?" he asked, as though he half expected to see them come around the corner.

Elsinore narrowed her eyes.  "And what did your friends call _you_?  I could imagine your nicknames were far more amusing than mine.  What are they calling you now?  Perhaps the more appropriate question is not where my friends are, but where yours are... if you ever indeed had any." she gave him a threatening stare and walked into the Great Hall.

"Hello, Aunt Elsie!" Lucia called.

"Don't call me that." Elsinore said bluntly, brushing past her.

"I- sorry." Lucia said, going back to quietly reading her book, trying not to show her hurt.  The others would be arriving soon.

Hermione woke up early and made sure her books and uniform were in order. She was sitting on the couch by the dwindling fire when Neville came down, fumbling around, in an apparent hurry. "What's the matter, Neville?" Hermione asked.  "You still have a half hour."  Neville looked at his watch. "I- I do? I thought I was a half-hour late!"

Hermione laughed slightly and shook her head. "No, but the others should be waking up any minute now.  I want to get a head-start on things today.  A new school. A clean slate.  I want everything to be perfect!" she said with invigoration.  "I'm looking forward to our classes, aren't you? I hope I've studied enough, I still don't understand chapter 21 in Transfiguration _nearly as well as I should." she said, quite distraught.  _

Neville's eyes became large. "We... we had to study?" 

"Well, no, not exactly, but see, you come from a wizarding family, so you already know say… who first invented the Self-stirring cauldron."

"I... I do?" Neville asked.

"Why, Carlton Chedrey, of course! Well, I suppose that was a questionable one, since Lilia Pewter also claimed to have made one before him… Well, what I mean to say is that I have to work all the more harder in order to keep up with the borne-wizards and witches.  You know…"

Neville nodded, feeling terribly stupid.


	2. Default Chapter

Fishy Happenings (Harry's First Year)

"I can't believe it! TWO rolls on Sleeping Potions?" Harry moaned.  "And it's only our first lesson, too!"

Hermione caught up to them, balancing her rolls of parchment atop her books. Her face was barely visible behind a heavy copy of Hogwarts: A History.  
"Well, it's his job, I suppose. Besides, he gave us all the information we need… providing you two took notes. You _did_ take notes, didn't you?" she asked, dubiously. "Well, anyways, two rolls oughtn't be a problem. I personally was expecting more." She paused and shrugged. One of the balancing rolls fell to the ground. She picked it up and placed it in her satchel. "But, I must admit, he didn't quite act fairly. I do hope he was just having a bad day." She looked at Harry. "And I hope he doesn't act like that the entire  
year..."  
She wanted to say that he treated Harry dreadful and that it was hardly fair, but she did not want to criticise teachers, who, in her opinion, were always fair. There must have been a reason, she finally decided.  
"I'm half famished... I'm sure glad we only have one more class before lunch. We have to hurry to get to Transfiguration. Oh, which reminds me, have any of you seen Neville? I was going to sit next to him in class... he seemed a bit spooked because of the way Potions went."  
Before they knew it, they were at the entrance of Transfiguration Class. Hermione had been so busy talking, she hadn't had the time to mention the various facts she knew about the sites they passed. "Oh, well, I had hoped to tell you a bit about the staircase, but, I suppose it's all-"  
Hermione was knocked to her knees by someone who was backing out of the classroom, still talking to Professor McGonagall. "I'm _sorry _ma'm. I didn't mean any harm by it!" the girl protested. She looked down at Hermione, blinking a few times before acting.  
"I'm sorry! I didn't see you there, I guess. You're the first year that I met at breakfast, right? Nice to meet you. I don't think we got introduced. I'm Lucia Ferene. Sly-"  
"Slytherin second year, I know." she said, picking up her books that had fallen. Lucia helped as much as Hermione would allow.  
Slightly subdued by Lucia's assistance, she gave a faint smile and a 'thanks.'  
"No problem. Sorry again about that. I should watch where I'm going, I suppose."  
She looked at Harry, and blinked several more times, as though trying  
to place him. "Oh, I talked to you at lunch. Harold? Herbert?"  
"_Harry_," Hermione interrupted. "Harry Potter. Don't you _read_?"  
Lucia didn't seem to hear the comment. "Ah, Harry. That's right.  Sorry… have a terrible time learning names.  You know, it took me almost a full day to remember Taylor's name.  She's my friend.  A first year… like you, too, Henr- eh.. Harry.  Got sorted into Slytherin, though… but that's not always a bad thing I suppose, I mean… look at me. Well, nice to meet you lot. You, too, Weasley," she said, giving a crooked grin. "Friends with your older brothers, Fred and George. Hope you can live up to their reputation! We'll have Hogwarts a royal mess!" she said with delight.  
Hermione didn't seemed amused by this statement. She cleared her throat. "Yes, well, as fun as that would be, I want to learn. If you'd excuse me, I have to get in there for my next class."  
Lucia moved aside with a comical flourish of her hands and a bow. "My pleasure." She let Hermione pass, then whispered to Harry, "Mind you don't try anything _fishy_ in there..." she said, with a slight smirk. "McGinney can be a bit... stiff. Someone should use fabric softener on her, don't you think?"

Harry blinked, "McGinney?"

"Oh… just what I call McGonagall… I used to know a McGinney. I think her name was Agatha, or Alberta, or something like that. So I called McGonagall Professor McGinney on accident once, and the name's stuck ever since.  I don't usually say it in front of her, though… unless of course I forget."

Ron shrugged, deciding it would be best not to talk, unless she went into another long explanation on something relatively simple.  
Hermione entered the classroom with a somewhat agitated Professor inside. She noticed McGonagall throw out a dead fish, and pull out a new quill from her desk.  
Hermione, not wanting to cross another teacher's bad side, came back out of the room and, with slight relief, noticed that Lucia had left. "Let's wait for the others," she suggested.  
Neville tottered up to them, red-faced. "Got caught in the trick step," he said, motioning to his rather red leg.  His pant leg was ripped. "Hermione, I'll stick with you on getting to classes from now on," he said, hastily entering the classroom.  
Hermione shrugged to Harry and Ron and entered after Neville.  
  
THE END?

By the by, Lucia turned McGonagall's quill into a fish. She  
thought it particularly clever, considering it was Transfiguration.   
However, she does have a detention as a result, and ten points taken  
from Slytherin, which she could frankly care less about. (No house  
loyalty whatsoever.)  
  



End file.
